Answering The Mail

By BERNARD GLADSTONE

Published: February 28, 1988

Q. Some of the floorboards in our house have raised slightly at the edges, and they often break when stepped upon. As a result, we now have spaces between the boards. This condition seems to have developed after the floors were stained. Can you help us solve this problem?

A. I doubt if staining could have caused this, unless a water-based stain were used (in which case the water might have caused the boards to warp). It could be that the flooring used was not properly nailed down in the first place, or that boards that are too wide were used. Either way, it sounds as though the only way to correct your problem is to remove the damaged boards and replace them with new ones, or cover the entire floor with new flooring. If you decide on the latter course, make sure all of the existing boards are solidly nailed down first, after which you may have to put down a hardboard underlayment before you can put down the new flooring.

Q. The vinyl floor in my kitchen has four orange-colored stains that I think are rust stains from a metal table that the previous owners had. I have tried many cleaners, but cannot get these stains off. Any suggestions?

A. If they are rust stains, you may be able to remove them with a commercial rust remover, the kind sold in most hardware stores. If this doesn't work, try scrubbing with Zud, a cleanser and bleach that often works on rust stains. If even this doesn't work, you can try a bleach, but this may also take the color out of the vinyl, so test on a small corner first.

Questions should be addressed to Bernard Gladstone, The New York Times, 229 West 43d Street, New York, N.Y. 10036.